Mop swab



April 26, 1932.

c. E. KREBS MOP SWAB Filed Sept. 13; 1929 Patented Apr. 26, 1932 UNITEDstares PATENT OFFICE CHARLES E. KREBS, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS MOP SWAIBApplicationfiled September 13, 1929; Serial No. 392,358.

laid together in a twine-like or rope-like structure in a relativelyloose manner to produce absorbency, a necessary quality in a mop swabused with water. This grouped plurality of such cut-end or open-endseparate lengths are usually fastened approximately midway between theirends to a strip of tape or the like, this construction of swab beingused with a separate holder or handle not an integral part thereof.Another form of swab is constructed by fastening in various manners, asan integral part thereof, a grouped plurality of such cut-end oropen-end separate lengths to the end portion of a handle or stick. I

Obviously the natural tendency of these an cut-ends or open-ends is tountwist immediately when put into service and rapidly thereafter onaccount of-their' comparatively loose twine-like or rope-like structure,whichconstant disintegrating process causes fibres and batches of fibresto fall away and the swab as a whole to become uneven and stringy at thecut-ends or open-ends making it unsuitable for desirable service, and torapidly wear out.

4.0 I have effectively overcome these obj ectionable features byproducing a mop swab in which any desirable number of single strands ofabsorbent material are tied together or otherwise fastened together attheir cut-ends 4 or open-ends to form separate lengths, or in whichseparate lengths of absorbent material of multiple strands are tied orotherwise fas- V tened at their cut-ends or open-ends, therebypreventing untwisting'at'their cut-ends or 59 open-ends when in use,without, however, preventing untwisting under their normal tendency whenin service ofthat portion of the- I separate lengths between theircut-ends or open-ends and the point where they are fastened to thehandle or stick. I substantially prolong the life of the mop swab byretarding the normal disintegrating process at the cut 1 ends oropen-ends, and make it a more eflicient cleaning implement bysubstantially longer retaining its original structure ofevennessat 60the cut-ends or open ends. V

The present invention consists, therefore, in a mop swab formed of agrouped plurality of separate lengths of absorbent material withcut-ends or open-ends in which each separate length may be a singlestrand or any desirable number of strands twisted or laid together in arelatively loose twine-like or rope-like structure to produceabsorbency,

and when single strand separate lengths are used, any desirable numberof strands are tied or otherwise fastened together at their cut-ends oropen ends to prevent untwisting. hen multiple strand separate lengthsare a used, they are tied or otherwise fastened at their cut-ends oropen ends to prevent untwisting or any desirable number of'multiplestrands maybe tied or otherwise fastenedto gether at their cut-ends oropen ends to pre vent untwisting. It further consists in a mop swab madeof a grouped plurality of separate lengths of absorbent mop materialstitched transversely'or lengthwise at their cut-ends or open-ends toprevent untwisting.

It further consists in the several novel features hereinafter fully setforth and claimed.

The invention is clearly illustrated in the drawings accompanying thisspecification in which- 1 Figure 1 is a-perspective view of amop swabembodying one form of the present in vention; i

Fig. 2 is a detailenlarged side elevation of a fragment of one of thelengths of material, from which the mop swab is formed;

Fig. 3 'is a detail cross section taken on the line -3'3 of Fig. 2; andJ Fig. 4 is a detail fragmentary side eleva- 1 ment of 'the--mop swabtothe mop stick or pieces thereof on the floor and in the tion of aslightly modified form of the invention.

Referring to said drawings, a mop swab embodying a simple form of thepresent invention is seen at A in Fig. 1, and, in accordance with oneform of swab, is composed of a plurality'of separate lengths 0; ofabsorbent material, usually formed of twisted together individualstrands a of fibrous material having cut-ends or open-ends, saidseparate lengths ofmaterial being uncon nected except at the placearranged for attachment to a stick or handle. T he material from whichthe separate lengths as are made is commonly known as mop yarn.' Theseparate lengths are usually cut from mop yarn of indefinite-length toform separate definite lengths which comprise the mop swa=b.' The-endsof the separate definite -lengthspwhichendsare free, may be termed cutends or. open ends. The separate lengths are grouped together to form aswablike structure and are usually secured together-at one'place onlywith a piece of bind- -ingrstrip:b of tape :or the like. Usually thebinding strip is sewed to and around the groupedseparate lengths ofabsorbent material approximately midway between the ends'thereof, thisbeing the place of attachhandleu. Any desirable number of strands offibrous: material may be used in each separate-length of mop yarn, andit is possible to usemore than the ordinary number ofstrands-in eachlength, due to the fact that the ends are-fastened together whichpreventsnuntwisting of 'theend portions of the material but does' permitthe untwisting of the'remainder ofthe; lengths.

Theestrands of each separate length of material are fastened togetheradjacent their cut or open end portions in any suitable manner; as, forinstance, byrunning a row of stitches 0 along the'lengthof thematerialzfor a short distance from the cut ends thereof; Thestitchesfasten the individual strands together at;the cut end portions of theseparate'lengths of material and effectively-prevent said end portionsfrom untwisting under usage without, however, preventing the. remainderof the lengths of material from untwisting. dividual strands themselvesare prevented from untwisting, and, consequently, the

fibrous material is kept intact,thereby not.

only prolonging the life of the mop swab and'increasing its efficiency,but effectively preventingrapid disintegration of the ma-' As a result,the in- By the term iseparate lengths in the specification and claims,is meant that the individual lengths which comprise the mop swab are notconnected together in any manner except at the point of attachment witha handle and that their free ends are cut or I open.

More or less variation of the exact details of construction is possiblewithout departing from the spirit of this invention. I desire,therefore, not to limit myself to the exact form of the constructionshown and described, but'intend, in the following claims, to point outall of the invention disclosed herein.

I claim as new, and desire-to secure by Letters Patent:

1. A mop swab composed of a plurality of'relatively loose twistedseparate lengths -of absorbent material grouped for attachment to ahandle and having cut ends, each separately fastened at the cut endportion by stitches.

2. A mop swab composed of-a plurality of relatively loose twistedseparate lengths of absorbent material grouped for attachment to ahandle, and having cut ends, each separately fastened at the cut endportion by stitches running lengthwise ofthe material.

3. A mop swab composed of aplurality of relatively loose twistedseparate lengths of absorbent material grouped for attachment to .ahandle and having cut ends, each sepa-' rately fastened at the cut endportions by stitching running transversely of the ma terial.

CHARLES E. KREBS.

terial from usage, and the depositing of mop pail."

In the 'mod-ified'form illustrated in Fig. 4, thestitches a are shown asextending transversely of the material.. It will be perfectly 6bviousthat 7 means other-- than stitches

